School board president wants to set the facts straight on unification
Guest opinion
By Ron Speakman Special to the Acorn

The unification of the Camarillo schools, with the inclusion of Somis for high school, has been at a standstill since the decision nearly a year ago by the County Committee to send this to the voters of Camarillo and Somis. The nearly unanimous decision was appealed by the Oxnard Union High School District and by a group of 11 citizens headed by Val Rains and Sherry Cole, thereby sending it to the state Board of Education for review and running up legal expenses for both districts. They have also stagnated the facilities planning process of the OUHSD, which should be concentrating on relieving the severely overcrowded conditions in Oxnard to educate students rather than blocking a separate community from combining a high school program in its existing school district. We anticipate that this matter will be heard in January 2008.

The fees for reports submitted by Dr. Jacqueline Brownlee and Dr. Joel Kirchenstein to the state Board of Education have been questioned by various antagonists who are trying to implicate the Pleasant Valley School District in some wrongdoing. In fact, Brownlee, who recently retired as a curriculum consultant to the California Department of Education, did prepare a report but is ineligible for compensation for consultant work before the CDE for a year following retirement. Kirchenstein was retained by PVSD attorney Marguerite Leoni.

Pleasant Valley School District and its counsel have provided expert, objective information to our public on this important matter rather than have it in any way suspect by being done by those in the district. Renowned consultants in the fields of facilities, finance, curriculum and law have been hired to give thorough accounts so that the board and district staff can lead the community in an informed manner. These consultants stake their professional reputations on their abilities to determine outcomes in these matters and would never jeopardize their careers to slant findings.

All the while, our board has endeavored to earn the trust of the community by handling the kindergartenthrougheighthgrade district in a fiscally responsible and educationally respected and relevant way. Consequently, we are one of the top three districts in achievement in the county and continue to operate a sound financial organization. This, despite the fact that we are the lowest funded district in the county. (That would no longer be the case in the event of unification.)

There are those that would say that we have "hidden agendas" and that we are focused on unification. Please go to our website and look at the agendas for 2007. The only meeting where we had an item related to unification was on Jan. 18, 2007, and it was deleted because we had no reason to speak with our attorney. You might also want to go the OUHSD website and note that at nearly every meeting this year, they have included a litigation/unification item on their agenda.

As a certified public accountant for 25 years and a board member for these past nine years, I know to turn to experts for information on matters of school finance, education, curriculum, facilities and legal matters. I would never rely on an amateur for this kind of specialized information or understanding. We should also be leery of anyone who uses 2008 expenses against 2003 income to argue against unification.

The Pleasant Valley School District staff and board strive for full disclosure, integrity and informed leadership. We are hardworking, dedicated community members who are leading in the best interests of students and the future of Camarillo. We invite your questions and support.

Speakman, a certified public accountant and a Camarillo resident, is president of the Pleasant Valley School Board.